


Busted Knuckles

by Gadhar



Category: The Expendables (Movies)
Genre: Angst, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-11-18
Updated: 2015-01-27
Packaged: 2018-02-26 03:08:01
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,163
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2635739
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Gadhar/pseuds/Gadhar
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>"I got distracted."</p><p>"Oh yeah? By what?"</p><p>"Some asshole's face."</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I didn't feel like typing up something from my notebook so I started something new. I'm just all about those WIPs.
> 
> Set during the first movie, after a particular scene.

"You're usually more controlled than this."

"I got distracted."

"Oh yeah? By what?"

"Some asshole's face. Would you just-" Lee tries to yank his hand away, but Barney's got a firm hold and the most he does is nearly tip himself off the stool. "Just leave it?"

"Considering how often you punch and stab things, and the fact that we end up in places that aren't exactly stellar in healthcare, I'm somewhat worried about infection. We take care of it now, there's no problem." 

Lee groans, loud and annoyed, slouching forward when all Barney gives him is his patented 'I'm unamused' look that covers up something more angrier. Lee turns away from that look, stares at his hands instead and watches as Barney puts all his first-aid knowledge to use. 

He flinches as the disinfectant sets in, soaking deep into his skin. Barney just keeps on dabbing with his Q-tips. 

"You do this for her?" Barney asks quietly and Lee just knows what he means by 'her'. And he's surprised at how much it _doesn't_ sting for someone to talk about Lacy with such disgust. 

"No." Lee flicks his gaze up when Barney stops wrapping his hands. He catches Barney's gaze- fiery and angry- and looks away quickly. Telling himself that look didn't positively _burn._ "I mean...not exactly?" 

Barney picks up the wraps again, smoothing the tape's edge down before grabbing Lee's other hand. 

He still has this look, like Lee's lying. About what or to who, Lee's not sure but between Barney's face and how Lee, himself, feels...maybe he is lying.

"He hit her. What the hell was I supposed to do?" 

Barney nods, letting out a slow breath. Some of his immediate anger going with it but Lee can see there's something still simmering beneath he surface. "I don't know, maybe punch correctly when you decided to bash his face in."

"Faces. Their faces. There was a few of them."

"Even more reason not to punch like a fucking idiot. How's it feel?" 

Lee flexes his hands, they're stiff against the wrap and hurt like a mother, but...well, he doesn't think anything's broken. "Just stiff."

Barney gives him a look.

"Look I get it, it was stupid. But like I said, what the hell was I supposed to do?"

"I don't got a problem with you kicking their ass, Lee. I mean, I rather not have to bail you out of jail but shit happens."

"Then what's your problem? Because you seem really fucking _pissed_ and it's not like I asked you to play doctor," Lee spats, standing as Barney does.

"No! You didn't," Barney shouts, his finger coming up and jabbing Lee in the chest. "But I did it and you know, I have no problem doing it but..."

"But what?"

Barney doesn't answer, the lines of his face smoothing out into a tired neutrality that Lee can't read as his hand drops to his side.

"But _what?"_

"Nothing, Lee. Just...forget about it." Barney dismisses him with a wave of his hand, turning on his heel and walking across the garage.

That burns too. That dismissal. And before Lee knows it, he's crowding Barney against the door before the man can open it and walk out. "Tell me what the problem is."

"Back off, Lee."

"Would you quit fucking _acting_ like nothing's wrong?"

"I'm not acting!" Barney tries to step around him but Lee pushes him back with an arm, keeps him pinned to the wall with a hand.

"Then quit with the tight-lipped act, like your opinion doesn't matter or something." 

"Get off me, Lee."

"Tell me what's going on. I'm the one with the busted up hands and the cheating girlfriend and _you're_ the one acting like someone shoved a pole up his ass!"

Barney stills, eyes going to a cold fury Lee doesn't think he's ever seen before. He said something wrong- what the fuck did he say? It was all the truth, not anything both of them didn't already know. What the hell did he _say?_

"It ain't up my ass, Lee."

"What?"

"The pole you seem to think is up my ass," Barney says quietly. "It ain't there. No. Someone shoved it through my fucking heart."

Lee narrows his eyes, pulls his weight off Barney and just stands there. Staring. "I..." What? He doesn't even know what that means much less what to say.

"You think I _like_ seeing you throw your fucking heart in the ring with some chick who's going to trample it? You think I _like_ taping up the knuckles you busted on a guy's face after he hurt the girl who hurt you. You think I _want_ to see that Lee? Fuck no!" 

Lee jerks back, Barney's words hitting like actual punches. He opens his mouth to say something, only to snap it close.

"It pisses me off Lee, that you wanna mess around with some stupid chick who doesn't know what you're worth. Who walks all over you. And it drives me fucking _crazy_ that you put yourself near her again. Why? Why put yourself through that?"

"I...she's...it's...complicated."

"Yeah. Sure. You gave her your heart, she crushed it, you took back the pieces and now you're slowly handing over piece after piece. What are you gonna do next? Marry her?" Barney scoffs, shaking his head and pushing Lee out the way so he can leave. _"God, Lee."_


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> _But it didn’t matter because what he wanted, what he needed, he had a chance at that. At least, he hoped he did._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ha, so, I apparently lost the original copy of this. I mean, I had started something for chapter two, but I cannot find the fucking thing so I just started over. I think this went in a different direction then originally intended. But I like this direction. So thanks to [this song](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BpjSGDwxLww) for getting my mind back to this fic so I could finish it.

He was stupid. Stupid to let Barney walk away like that. Stupid not to see what was in front of his fucking face. Stupid to even—stupid for a lot of reasons. 

And if he’s honest it’s not like he didn’t see it, he did he just...didn't want to. Because he had Lacy and that was his chance, right? His chance to have the good life. And admitting...admitting that there was something between him and Barney would have just complicated things.

But look where being in denial got him? He’d just driven a wedge between him and his best fucking friend and now he had no idea where his friend was. Cruel fate was what was going on here. And he deserved every bit of it.

It didn’t stop him from riding around aimlessly on the Ducati. Looking for Barney. Sitting alone in a hotel wasn't going to get him anywhere and if he gave in to the temptation to just drink himself into next week then there’d be no fixing anything. 

Barney was probably doing just that now and it’d be Lee’s fault so better to have at least one of them sober.

He cursed his temper, and his mouth. If he had just shut the fuck up for one fucking second, maybe actually looked at Barney, and tried to figure out what he was seeing, what he was _really_ fucking seeing– he could’ve fixed this. Or stopped putting his foot in his mouth at least.

He never bothered to think about Barney, not when he was trying so hard to make Lacy work, fighting the knowledge that it just _wasn’t_ going to every step of the way. 

Lee wondered though, if he had seen what it was doing, to Barney, if he would have really given up Lacy. Maybe he was just selfish enough to keep fucking over his friend if it meant he had a shot at getting whatever perfect picture was in his mind.

Now he knew though. Knew that the perfect picture didn’t exist. Not for him. But it didn’t matter because what he wanted, what he _needed_ , he had a chance at that. At least, he hoped he did.

He pulled over, pulling out his phone and dialing Barney’s number again. He’d already checked the hangar, Tool’s, and Barney’s place, turning up nothing. And once again he got the damn voicemail. Shit.

“Barney. Barney, look, I know you want to punch my face in. _I_ want to punch my face in. But I can’t and it’s kind of hard to let you do it if I can’t find you. Call me back? Or message me? Anything. Jesus, _anything._ ” 

He listened to the static-y silence for a few moments, hoping in vain that Barney’s voice would magically come over the line.

It didn’t so he hung up, resisting the urge to throw his fucking phone. 

And then he got a text.

Fuck, please, just, God, _please._

It was from, Tool. 

Lee blinked at that for another minute. If he read it and it was a damn mission he really would throw his fucking phone. But then, this was Tool so it could be something entirely different for all he knew. Hell, Tool might even be asking _him_ where Barney was. 

He read the text. It was an address for a...well fuck. 

A boxing gym. An old one too. He’d owe Tool big time even if he didn’t want to think about how the man knew what Lee was looking for. 

****

Barney was at the gym, practically _murdering_ a bag and Lee winced in sympathy. He did that to Barney and quite frankly, he should probably be the one in front of Barney’s fists.

“You’re good.”

Barney jerked to a stop, the rage that flushed his features mixing with shock before cooling down into that same damn tiredness Lee had seen before.

“Could’ve been a champ.”

Barney snorted, as if to say _I was,_ and threw a few absent punches. 

Lee couldn’t help watching, Barney didn’t have a lot of finesse but he was faster than Lee would’ve thought. Guess that speed extended past a gun. Barney had power though, raw fucking power that could knock people out. 

And there was a reservation to it all, a tightness in Barney’s shoulders that told Lee these few punches he was seeing now were just a shadow of what Barney could really do. 

“I’m sorry. Okay. I seriously am. I am so fucking sorry. I don’t...I know you’re mad but—”

“I don't want to punch you,” Barney huffed and he finally stopped punching. Shaking out his limbs he turned toward Lee, giving him his full attention. “How’d you find me?”

Lee swallowed under that gaze. “Tool. He...Uh...How did you...”

“I may not answer the phone but that doesn't mean I don't hear the messages. I don't want to hit you.”

“You got them then, the texts too?”

Barney shrugged, a wry smirk curling the corner of his mouth. “I like the sound of your voice.”

It was a quiet statement, rough with exhaustion and the burn of a workout but there was no obvious tone behind it, no inflection to the words, just a humbled....fondness behind it all.

“Then why...Barney you’re pissed, I can tell. and I get not talking to me but—”

“I didn’t say I wasn’t mad. I just said I didn’t want to hit you. And I’m not mad at you either. If you’re wondering about that.”

Lee narrowed his eyes, shoulders slouching. “Then why?”

“I really thought it would have been obvious, Christmas.” when Lee didn’t respond, did nothing but looked even more confused Barney went on. “Damn Lee, I said it before. It hurts, you fuck. I am pissed at Lacy, not you. I am pissed that you...God, that you chose _her_ but I’m not going to blame you for wanting someone. So I’m not mad at you. It hurts, because you’re hurt. I get i never made it clear that I wanted something, for us, that’s my fault. But if you’re expecting me to just set that aside, because you went for her? No. Not fucking happening.”

Lee resisted the urge to fist his hand in his shirt, it felt like he couldn’t breathe. His chest too tight and fuck if he understood what Barney was saying. No he needed...he needed the words. “Barney, what are you...?” _Saying? Asking? Wanting?_

“Lee, I’m supposed to be the idiot here. Come on, we can’t both be playing the oblivious game.” Barney climbed down from the ring, walking to Lee with determination in his steps. 

He stopped not even a foot away, waiting. “I’m going to be pissed. For awhile. Hell, probably forever, over what she did to you. But, I’m here. If you want me, I am here.”

Lee didn’t even here the last bit of what Barney said, he couldn’t hear anything past the blood rushing in his ears. The heartbeat in his throat. Barney was too close and fuck it all if he was going to mess it up a second time around. 

He grabbed Barney's face with both hands, crushing their lips together and there was teeth and probably some blood and it kinda fucking hurt but at the same time it was...relief. God he felt so fucking relieved. Barney’s arms were around him, pulling him in, a possessiveness seeming to thrum under his skin and Lee groaned. 

Barney was right, they couldn’t both be idiots.


End file.
